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Denver, Colorado – The following statement is from Ted Kowalski, director of the Colorado River initiative at the Walton Family Foundation, in support of the U.S.-Mexico Colorado River agreement announced today:

Without new approaches to water management in the Colorado River Basin, there will no longer be enough water in the river to meet growing demand from our farms, our cities, and the river itself. While we understand this won’t be easy, we believe today’s agreement represents a meaningful commitment to achieve solutions that bring stability, reliability, and sustainability to the region. And while this is a positive step, it is only one step. Today proves that we can bring diverse parties together to develop creative solutions that benefit everyone involved, and we must continue to work together to solve the water resource challenges facing the Colorado River basin.

At the Walton Family Foundation, we believe conservation solutions that make economic sense are the ones that stand the test of time. Our mission is to improve lives and secure healthy ocean and river ecosystems by aligning environmental, social and economic interests.

"We are grateful to President Obama that he has again raised education as a key to opportunity for all Americans. We couldn't agree more. High-quality education creates the possibilities that American children deserve."

The Walton Family Foundation has been made aware of a fraudulent email claiming to be from our Executive Director, Buddy Philpot. The email may look as if it is coming from a foundation-related website or from an email address that uses the name of a member of the Walton family. The message indicates that the recipient has been chosen “to submit a grant proposal for immediate endorsement.” The foundation did not send this email, and we encourage you not to respond to it.

The Walton Family Foundation has been made aware of a fraudulent email claiming to be from our Executive Director, Buddy Philpot. Similar versions of the email claim to be from "Peter W." or "Horace S." The email may look as if it is coming from a Foundation-related website or from an email address of info@waltonfamilyfoundation.com. The message indicates that the recipient has been chosen for a $5 million grant. The Foundation did not send this email. We are preparing legal action to stop this behavior.

The Walton Family Foundation is proud of our decades-long track record investing in real solutions to tough environmental challenges. Over the last five years alone, we’ve invested $351 million in efforts to support real, lasting ecological restoration in the Gulf of Mexico, to tackle the water policy challenges in the Colorado River Basin, to conserve some of the most ecologically rich seascapes around the globe and to push for sustainable fisheries management that benefits fishing communities and families. Our grantees include many of the nation’s leading environmental groups, as well as local organizations working on behalf of the communities that depend directly on healthy rivers, oceans and wildlife.

We applaud the USDA’s announcement today that the Colorado and Mississippi River basins will be included as critical conservation areas in the agency’s new Regional Conservation Partnership Program. The new initiative, part of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, is a Farm Bill conservation program that will focus on locally-driven projects that restore rivers, improve water quality and support economies across the country.